He was a student of the Chinese martial artist, acupuncturist, and folk hero of Cantonese ethnicity, Wong Fei-hung.

He founded the Wu Ben Tang (Hall of Fundamental Study) in Guangzhou (Canton) where he taught his martial arts.

Between 1917 and 1923, Lam served in the National Revolutionary Army of Fujian province as Chief Instructor in hand-to-hand combat.

Some of his students became among the first actors and stunt people in the fledgling Hong Kong "kung fu" film industry in the 1940s.

Among Lam Cho's senior disciples, Kwong Tit Fu (鄺鐵夫) (died 1999) and Tang Kwok-wah (鄧國華) (1924–2011) taught in Boston.

Kwong's well-known student was Calvin Chin, while among Tang's disciples are Winchell Ping Chiu Woo (胡炳超) (Chiu Mo Kwoon, Boston), Yon Lee (李健遠) (Harvard Tai Chi Tiger Crane Shaolin Cultural Foundation, Shaolin Institute, Quincy).

Lam had been portrayed by one of his students Lau Cham in many of the Wong Fei-hung films starring Kwan Tak-hing from 1949 to 1959.

He was portrayed by Dickson Li in the 2004 TVB television drama series Wong Fei Hung – Master of Kung Fu.